Beyond the Blue: Papahānaumokuākea ROV and Mapping
April 8-May 5, 2025
From April 8-May 5, NOAA Ocean Exploration will lead a 28-day remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and mapping expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to explore deep waters in and around Papahānaumokuākea. During the expedition, the team will work to fill gaps in our understanding of the region by conducting focused mapping and ROV operations in waters deeper than 200 meters (656 feet).
All things permitting, when the ship is not in transit, dives will be streamed most days, April 11 to May 2, from approximately 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. HDT / 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. EDT. Note that dates and times are subject to change. Over the course of the expedition, we expect to dive and explore deep-sea coral and sponge habitats, seamounts, maritime heritage sites, and the water column.
Use of the livestreams is an important component of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer’s mission. Depending on the exploration and operations at hand, content and availability of the video feeds will change. All video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.
All views and opinions expressed in this video feed are those of the speaker and are not attributable to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or other federal agency.
What Are You Seeing?
When the Okeanos Explorer is underway on an expedition, this page will broadcast streams from the ship. What is being shown on the different video streams may change depending on the exploration and operations at hand.
Note that occassionally on the feeds, you will see two red dots – these laser points are 10 centimeters (almost four inches) apart and are used by scientists to determine the sizes of things that they are seeing.
Live Track/Current Position Map
Map data courtesy of NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
Dive Plan
April 23, 2025: Unnamed Seamount 03 - Northwest of Holanikū (Kure Atoll)
Today’s dive will take place on the southern ridge arm of an unnamed seamount northwest of Holanikū (Kure Atoll). As the age of this seamount is unknown, the team will be looking to collect geological samples that can be used to determine the provenance of this seamount chain. The dive will begin on a saddle along the southern ridge arm at a depth of approximately 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) and will continue up a narrow ridge on the edge of an escarpment feature. The ridge arm slope is likely shallower than previous dives, providing an opportunity to document differences in the coral and sponge communities at varying depths.
Approximate ROV launch: 8:30 a.m. HST / 2:30 p.m. EDT
Approximate bottom arrival time: 9:20 a.m. HST / 3:20 p.m. EDT
Approximate bottom departure time: 3:20 p.m. HST / 9:20 p.m. EDT
Note that this is a tentative plan and is subject to change before or during the dive.